Forced to choose between friendship and pinstripes, Leo Mazzone went with his heart.

After being wooed by the New York Yankees, the esteemed pitching coach agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, the team managed by his best friend, Sam Perlozzo.

Mazzone leaves Atlanta, where he had six Cy Young Award winners and nine 20-game winners in a 151/2-year run with the Braves. The move unites Perlozzo, hired as manager earlier this month, with Mazzone, who served as best man at his wedding.

"The reason I'm coming to Baltimore is because Sam Perlozzo is the manager," Mazzone said.

A West Virginia native, Mazzone, 57, was raised in Cumberland, Md., where he grew up with Perlozzo. Mazzone's parents still live in Maryland, yet another factor in his decision to leave Atlanta and spurn a generous offer from the Yankees, who are seeking to replace pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre.

He will be paid well for his services. Although terms of the contract were not released, Mazzone will receive a significant raise over the reported $250,000 he was making under his year-to-year arrangement with the Braves.

Tigers

Detroit hired Chuck Hernandez as pitching coach, completing new manager Jim Leyland's staff.

Hernandez, 44, spent the past two seasons as pitching coach with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He served from 1997-2003 as a coach in the Devil Rays' minor-league system, including the final six as the minor-league pitching coordinator.